Craig Berndt is 2023 Medal of Arts Recipient

The Auburn Arts Commission has honored Craig Berndt as the recipient of the Medal of Arts award for researching and documenting the history of railroads in DeKalb County and northeast Indiana.

Berndt, who grew up in Butler and now resides in Fort Wayne, was recognized in the author category.

He has researched the railroads in northeast and southern Indiana since the 1980s and has written histories of the following: in northern Indiana, the Syracuse & Milford Railway, the St. Joseph Valley Railroad, the Toledo & Chicago Interurban and the Lake James Trolley; and in southern Indiana, the Ferdinand Railroad. He also has authored a book on the schools of Butler.

“It was in the 1980s I started getting very interested in a railroad that the terminal points on it were Butler and Logansport. My hometown had one end of it,” Berndt said.

Craig Berndt, right, accepts the Auburn Arts Commission Medal of Arts award for researching and documenting the history of railroads in DeKalb County and northeast Indiana. Arts commission member Chad Gramling presents the award. Photo by Sheryl Prentice

While in graduate school in Bloomington, Berndt found a small railroad that was still operating and wound up writing a book about it.

“There’s no explanation for it. It’s like anybody’s interest. Somehow you latch onto it and it grows,” he said of his interest in researching railroads.

“The places I’ve lived, I inevitably find a ghost railroad that’s interesting, so I research them and I’m adamant about accuracy,” he added.

“It’s very time consuming,” he said of his research.

“I like the detective part of it the most. Writing is always very, very difficult … the research side of it is where I thrive.”

Berndt turns to resources such as libraries, historical societies, online resources, newspapers and archives for his research.

“I try to find people to interview if they’re still around, and I do find them. That’s important too, interviewing people who have some knowledge of it,” Berndt added.

“I like the adversity in it and the research,” he said.

Berndt describes his writing style as “conversant.”

“I found out early on, with the help of another author, I’ve always written my books as if I were talking to people,” he explained.

“People have told me that they find the way I write is interesting because it’s a conversation.”

Berndt gives copies of his work to libraries and historical societies along the lines he writes about and to larger regional libraries.

“I want people to know what happened and their local history,” he said.

This post is a set of excerpts from the Star Newspaper, written by AAC Board Member, Kathryn Bassett. Read the full feature article here: Auburn Arts Commission honors Berndt